Good Intentions. Max Weber and the Paradox of Unintended Consequences, Oxford, The Bardwell Press, "Gemas, Studies in Social Analysis", 2007

Mohamed CHERKAOUI

Oxford, The Bardwell Press, 2007

All of human life is affected by the awkward fact that, as Robert Burns said : « the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry. » Taking his cue from Max Weber’s seminal insight into this phenomenon, Mohamed Cherkaoui explores this paradoxical world where good intentions so often produce unintended consequences. A famous example is the role of Protestantism in the rise of modern capitalism. The book offers a profound analysis of Weber’s classic essay on this topic, and his theories about the sociology of religion and of rationalisation that lie at its heart. As Professor Cherkaoui demonstrates, this approach remains of great relevance to an understanding of contemporary problems such as Islamic fundamentalism.